Eleven years ago today, Ohio Stadium shook with noise as Chris Gamble returned an interception for the go-ahead touchdown against Penn State in the Buckeyes’ 2002 national championship season.

Hours later, Gamble’s legs were still shaking.

“It felt like my calves were going to explode,” Gamble said after Ohio State defeated the Nittany Lions 13-7 in the Buckeyes’ magical run to the BCS title.

Gamble was the first Ohio State player to start on offense (wide receiver) and defense (cornerback) since Paul Warfield in 1963, a 39-year drought during which no other iron man stepped forward.

Then again, Gamble didn’t really step into his two-way role as much as he was nudged there by the OSU coaches.

“What makes this possible is the fact Chris Gamble can do anything,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said at the time. “He’s extraordinary. The offensive and defensive coaches kind of fight over him. There’s no doubt he’s special.”

Against Penn State, Gamble was on the field for more than 90 plays. No wonder he slept for 17 hours afterward. The sophomore played more than 100 snaps in the Buckeyes’ final three regular-season games, including 128 in an overtime win against Illinois.

“Those are the sorts of things you see guys doing in high school,” teammate Michael Jenkins said. “That doesn’t happen at the college level.”

At least not when Gamble played. But playing both ways used to be the norm when college football used a single-platoon system from 1954 to 1964. Today’s two-platoon football returned in 1965.

Gamble was something of a novelty of his era, but Warfield remained on the field on offense, defense and special teams for his entire career at Ohio State.

While Gamble made headlines for his triple role of receiver, cornerback and punt return specialist, Warfield went about his normal business of filling roles he always had held.

“As a high-school player (at Warren Harding), I went both ways and was on all the return teams, so that was standard,” said Warfield, 70, who continued that pattern with the Buckeyes.

“I might have had more playing time than anyone at Ohio State, because it seemed I never left the field,” he said.

The NCAA instituted single-platoon football mostly as a cost-saving measure in the 1950s, but Warfield said it also fit with the larger college vision of pursuing a rounded education.

“The concept was part of the educational process,” he said. “To be a football player, you had to learn to play defense as well as offense. It wasn’t until the pros that you became a specialist.”

He began his OSU career as a halfback and defensive back before switching to more of a receiver his senior year.

Well, sort of a receiver.

“I blocked for the fullback,” he said, chuckling. “In those days we called it ‘end,’ which meant you were barely away from the offensive tackle.

Warfield led the Buckeyes in receiving with eight catches his junior season and 22 as a senior. He finished his career with 39 receptions.

“We only threw in desperate situations,” he said.

Gamble, meanwhile, totaled 38 receptions in three seasons at Ohio State, including 33 in 2002.

Warfield was delighted to shift into two-platoon football when he joined the Cleveland Browns in 1964. The Browns had drafted him to be a cornerback, but coach Blanton Collier took one look at the sprinter — Warfield also ran track for the Buckeyes — and moved him to the newly created position of wide receiver.

“My preference has always been toward offensive football,” he said.

But Warfield made big defensive plays at Ohio State, too. In 1963, he intercepted a pass on the final play of the game to preserve a 13-10 win at second-ranked Wisconsin.

“Whatever plaudits I received was for being a cover cornerback,” he said. “I wasn’t Jack Tatum.”